Disrespect

[ScooterWolf]

It's one of the favorite topics in scooter forums -- we're disrespected because we ride scooters. Whether it's from MC riders, or drivers on the road. However, it occurred to me that this may also be a plus. In other words, does this level of disrespect makes us better drivers?

Is there a push to earn respect on the roads by being better, more skilled riders, less aggressive, less squid-y, while also being vigilant as drivers (cagers) who tend to tailgate, aggressively pass and cut us off more often.

Does the cost of survival makes us better drivers?

- Wolf

[h2ou8n4]

I only get scooter disrespect from one guy...the fellow who does state inspections for me. A lot of my bikes come up due in the same month so I'll show up for inspections a few times in one day. After bringing in my scooter, if I show up next on a motorcycle, he always gives me, "Finally, a REAL bike!" with a lot histrionics.

[ScooterWolf]

I'd ask him if he rides, and if not I'd call him a scooter virgin, and when he pops his cherry he'll feel different.

- Wolf

[ole two wheels]

Not only for scooters. It goes on within the motorcycle community as well. If you don't ride an American m/c, your bike is called a rice burner and you are looked down on. When I rode my Harley, I gave the biker salute to everyone, even a moped rider and still do weither on my Kymco or my rice burner Honda. It's all about the ride, not the brand or type.

[h2ou8n4]

I always get a laugh when I hear the time-worn "American Bike" line. Back in the 80's when HD finally made a move towards improvement with the Evo Motor; they made a very big deal about the retooling. What they didn't say but was revealed by several enthusiast publications was the all new machine tools HD purchased to make the new motor were from....wait for it....Japan! So every red, white and blue, made in America Harley owes the build quality to a Japanese daddy! So desuka!

[ole two wheels]

Yelp and  my 1100 Shadow was made in OHIO. What a hoot. Honda put a plant over here when HD was lobbing for high tariffs on Japanese motorcycle imports.

[CROSSBOLT]

Good topic, Wolf! Got me to thinking, why do I ride? I enjoy it. Very personal. I enjoy my machine very much. I never considered what anyone I did not know might think of me riding a "scooter!" Some bike and scooter riders do not return my greetings but most do. The ones that don't do not really bother me. Have had no face to face confrontations about riding the scooters. Actually, most people have been more than complimentary especially when they hear the mileage! I vow to walk away from insults. What can they do? Send me back to Vietnam? Don't think so. The dynamics of riding are a little different. Most car drivers do not consider a two-wheeler any threat. Many may actually see a rider but it does not register, hence the "I dint see him" statements we hear about all the time. Regardless of the situation, I am not getting into a space conflict with a car or bigger 'cause I will lose if it gets ugly. There is a situation that is a bother and that is the tailgater. I WILL wave them back and if they don't back off, I will do a slow down so they will pass or divert/evade until they are gone. They are not disrespectful, they are ignorant of the dynamics. They also are not scanning ahead any farther than 20' so have no idea of what can happen next.

Karl

[h2ou8n4]

My grandpa always had a little pile of pennies in the console or ashtray of his car. When met with an egregious tailgater, he'd flip one or two pennies out his side window. He used to laugh that "nobody gets up to a nickel!"

[ScooterWolf]

I think we've all come up with various tactics for dealing with aggressive drivers. I'm like you, Carl, in a contest between my bike and a car -- even a Cooper Mini, or a golf cart, I'm not going to win. I've also learned to never piss off anyone who's behind me.

Maybe we're at the bottom of the riding food chain, or others assume we are until we surprise them with our bike's agility, passing and turning speed. I think the ability to get out of trouble, and the skills needed to do so (how may drivers have those problems?) makes us better riders.

- Wolf 

[Stig / Major Tom]

The riding gangs I hang with have trouble with that disrespect thing, too.

A fav. bumper sticker: "Old men wear pony tails and Hawaiian shirts to slow the onset of dignity."

Stig

[Scooter Dan]

The attitude of the rider determines they're own reality.

[GLV55]

...Maybe we're at the bottom of the riding food chain, or others assume we are until we surprise them with our bike's agility, passing and turning speed. I think the ability to get out of trouble, and the skills needed to do so (how may drivers have those problems?) makes us better riders.

- Wolf

I'm a much better driver now that I ride a scooter, but I think Wolf is right...we're kind of at the bottom of the automotive food chain, mostly from the ignorance and false assumptions of most drivers that all scooters are "mopeds" that can't go over 30 mph. I once pulled up beside a big HD at a stop light. He looked at my little 150cc scooter and kind of chuckled and shook his head...until the light turned green and I was about 50 yard ahead of him before he ever got out of 2nd gear. At the next stop light he looked over and nodded and gave me the thumbs up. There is a huge amount of incorrect information or assumptions about what scooters are capable of, and I love to dispel those as often as I can.
Scooter Crusader, over and out.

[Stig / Major Tom]

Yeah, scoots are specifically engineered for those quick starts in dense Asian traffic. Even the littlest do it pretty well.
Older fellow was asking me about my scooters yesterday at Tim's. We both come here often enough that he knows I have two scooters.
On the subject of getting respect for our ride choices, he said that he and all his buddies own trucks - but he prefers to drive his lttle Ford Focus in town. He said he gets a lot of grief for that...
but that he just likes the way it handles in town.
I said ,"I know what you mean. That's why I ride that little one here most mornings."....pointing at the LIKE200I.
Stig

[yao]

Had a co-worker say to me once, "oh a moped, why all the gears?", I replied " It hurts just as much crashing it at 60mph vs motorcycle"

[Redk]

Stig always takes the best pics !
redk